


Busting Ghosts

by LilydaleXF



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Humor, MSR, On the Run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 13:00:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilydaleXF/pseuds/LilydaleXF
Summary: Mulder tries to wake up Scully. She resists, and somehow everything becomes about Ghostbusters and their relationship. Set when they're on the run sometime between "The Truth" and "I Want To Believe."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks: This story wouldn't be here without Anjou's encouragement.

Mulder has said Scully's name out loud multiple times, but she's remained still as stone under the motel's awful brown comforter that's only slightly softer than an actual rock. "Scully?" he tries one more time. Nothing.

They had stayed up later than normal the night before watching TV, but she's usually more anxious than he is to leave wherever they are every early morning. She's steadfastly hopeful that one day they will suddenly find themselves where they need to be, or at least she's good enough at projecting the idea that Mulder's actually started to believe it himself.

He sits down on the foot of the bed, hoping that the jostle will help rouse her, as he calls out "Dana." He spoke at normal volume, having abandoned whispering a few Scullys ago. "Day-nuh," he tries again, now in sing-song. Again, with extra sing: "Daaayyy-nuuuh."

Inching the covers up over her head, she moans, "There is no Dana, only Zuul."

He grins. She's awake and sassy. "If this means you're now going to start writhing around on the bed in silky lingerie, I am all for the appearance of Zuul."

"Watch it, Zuul is vengeful."

"Oh, I'd watch. I'd pay good attention."

"You just want some nice demonic possession to investigate."

"No, Scully, I'm pretty sure it's the writhing and the lingerie that's the draw."

Scully drops the covers to her chin and cracks open her eyes, giving Mulder a look of mockful scorn.

"What?" he says while bugging his eyes out "who me?" style.

"You know what."

In reply Mulder lays down on the covers beside her and tips his head toward hers as his hand finds her waist over the comforter.

Scully's mouth upturns into a tiny smile. "I thought you were trying to get me up, Mulder."

"I was. I am."

"Then you are doing a very bad job."

He lightly squeezes her hip. "You know you're more important to me than demonic possession, right?"

"I ... I never thought I'd hear you say that, Mulder."

"You still think I'd put an X-File over everything? Even now?"

"No. I meant the other part, the part about me."

"Well, you are important to me." The words roll oddly off his tongue, which continues forming more atypical words. "I'd think you'd know that by now since I take you out to dinner and stay in the same bed as you every single night."

"I'm serious, Mulder."

"Okay, _Zuul_."

Scully scoots away from him a bit and props up her head with a bent arm so she's facing him better, which allows him to more clearly see some disdain on her face along with a mischievous twinkle that sometimes shines in her eyes. "This importance may be apparent from recent years, Mulder, but it's a silent apparition."

"I can't beli--"

"Yes, don't even say it Mulder. I made a ghostly apparition pun on the heels of the _Ghostbusters_ thing because I know you. I knew you'd get it, I knew you'd smile, I knew your hand would start to curl that much farther over me -- no, no, don't start pulling back. I just said I spoke hoping I knew what would happen."

"Okay," he shakily agrees as his hand stops where it is over her.

"But even that is speaking around the point."

"Which is?"

She sighs and flops down her arm, her head falling to her pillow with it. "I'm not sure."

Mulder is at a bit of a loss himself. They stay still on the bed for a few moments.

"Maybe, Scully, it's that even with the constant threat of demonic possession and even worse things, there's hope, and there's love, and sometimes it needs calling out."

"Since when do demons bring hope and love?"

"Well, they did for us, didn't they?"

Scully doesn't say anything, instead working a hand over to his cheek. She runs it lightly down his face, ending at his lips. He kisses her fingers before reaching up and holding them with his own.

They look shyly, sweetly at one another for a spell before he says, "Even with so much evil around the Ghostbusters had the comfort of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man."

"He tried to kill everybody!"

"Yeah, I guess, if you want to get all technical about it. But he was their instant symbol of comfort. And he was awfully cute."

"Are you trying to liken me to a giant marshmallow, Mulder? Because if you are--"

"No, there's only Zuul." Before she's able to finish one of her epic eye rolls, he continues, "You know for me there's only you, Zuul."

"Stop calling me that."

"You started it!" His face falls into an exaggerated pout. "So no writhing? No lingerie?"

She looks at him seriously, and it makes him a little afraid of what she is going to say. "Are you taking me out to dinner tonight?"

That was a much more tame response spoken in a much more sedate tone that he was expecting. "Of course."

"And you'll buy me cocoa? With marshmallows?"

"Absolutely. For me too. We'll both kill some marshmallows today."

"Then yes."

"Yes?" Somehow he's still afraid of what she's saying even though it's the answer he was jokingly trying to elicit.

"Except I have no good lingerie with me, so we'll have to make do without that part."

"Without?"

"Will that be a problem, Mulder?"

"No, Dana. No it will not."

"Then it's settled."

"If I had any idea, I would have stayed up late watching _Ghostbusters_ with you a lot longer ago than last night."

They're still holding hands, and she squeezes his. But she looks away from him as she admits, "I like waking up with you every day."

"You have a funny way of showing it! Anybody in the rooms next door could have heard me through these terrible walls practically yelling at you over and over this morning."

She squeezes his hand a bit more vehemently as she quietly says, "I mean it, Mulder. Every day now more than ever needs to start with love and hope."

"Us," he whispers.

"Us," she agrees.

She leans over while pushing away bedding and kisses him quickly on the nose. "Now let's go. This comforter is the worst one yet."

"Nothing is more important to me right now than exorcising that comforter from the realm of your existence."

"Mulder, are you going to be making ghost and demon jokes all day?"

"Probably. Are you?"

She heaves a sigh. "Probably."

He broadly grins, which he cannot help but do to match the one growing on her face. It looks like love and hope.


End file.
